Washington: Former US President Bill Clinton told House lawmakers that he had “no idea” about Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and insisted he “saw nothing and I did nothing wrong” during his association with the disgraced financier.
Clinton appeared for a closed-door deposition before the Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in Chappaqua, New York. It marked the first time a former US president had been compelled to testify before Congress under a subpoena.
In prepared opening remarks, Clinton said: “I had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing.” He added, “I saw nothing and I did nothing wrong.”
He also said, “But even with 20/20 hindsight, I saw nothing that ever gave me pause. We are only here because he hid it from everyone so well for so long.”
Clinton criticised the committee for requiring his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to testify a day earlier.
“Before we start, I have to get personal. You made Hillary come in. She had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. Nothing,” he said. “Whether you subpoenaed 10 people or 10,000, including her, was simply not right.”
The deposition followed months of wrangling between the Clintons and the GOP-led panel. The committee advanced contempt resolutions before the former president agreed to appear. Lawmakers said they plan to release video and transcripts in the coming days.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said Clinton had been cooperative.
“Answered every question, or attempted to answer every question,” Comer told reporters after the session. He added that once the materials are released, “not only will you, but a lot of people in America will have more questions about some of the answers that were given and where we go from here.”
Representative Nancy Mace said Clinton responded even “when his attorneys told him to shut up.”
Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, said, “What we’re interested in today is a serious deposition — we have real questions that deserve serious answers from former President Clinton.”
Clinton has acknowledged taking trips on Epstein’s private jet in 2002 and 2003 for foundation-related work, but has said he never visited Epstein’s private island. Files released by the Justice Department included photographs of Clinton and references to his past interactions with Epstein, though they did not indicate wrongdoing.
President Donald Trump, who has also faced scrutiny over past ties to Epstein, said of Clinton’s testimony: “I don’t like seeing him deposed… but they certainly went after me.”
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to charges of soliciting prostitution involving a minor. He was arrested again in 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges and died in jail later that year. His associate Ghislaine Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping recruit and groom underage girls.
(IANS)
